Gone Baby Gone
by XxKitsunexX
Summary: It all started with the death of a very unfortunate raccoon. When those raccoon deaths turn into human deaths, only L can solve the case. Is it Kira? An accomplice? Or someone else entirely? /LxOC/
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer & Authors note: Disclaimer; I don't own Deathnote. A/N; YAY! I finally got this up and off to a running start again! God, inspiration at two a.m. can't be healthy, but oh well… Thanks to Katy Ketchup and Wondering What Breakfast Is for helping me out when I didn't want to keep it going!**

Ai stared blankly to the front of the room, wishing she was sitting by the windows. Then again, that was the reason she was sitting here, she always looked out the windows. Sure, she wasn't the ideal student, but she did all the work, and at least got 'excellent' marks on her papers.

She was bored. Horribly, dreadfully bored.

Ai slowly turned her head to her left, watching the other students. There weren't many, maybe ten, fifteen at the most? She was seventeen, old enough to know what was what, but too young to go out in the world on her own. Psh, yeah. When you live for one hundred years, you learn how to at least fend for yourself for five minutes.

She turned her head again, this time to the right, to focus on that mass of black hair near the window. He was sitting oddly, almost like a crouch sitting on the balls of his feet in the chair. She was honestly surprised that guy didn't fall over._"God what was his name again?"_

XOXO

L turned his head, feeling as if he was being stared at. He was, by that one girl who lived next door to him, Ai. She never came out except to go to class, and she was very slender. Her hair was cut short, a bit below her chin and was straight black, clashing with her pale skin and dark green eyes. She often wore baggy clothes, but then again, they were comfortable.

She had this puzzled look on her face, like she was trying to think of something. Her eyebrows knit together, and she lightly bit her bottom lip on the right side, turning her head back around to face the front of the class.

L figured he should do the same.

XOXO

"_Come on dammit! Name…Name… NAME…_" Ai thought harshly in her head. She kept her gaze focused on a crack in the ceiling for about five minutes pondering before she finally gave up. _"I'll remember later. God I wish I was sitting by the window…_"

Class seemed to drag on forever, the clock at the front of the room moved obnoxiously slow, and each tick of the clock sounded like thunder. Ai absentmindedly doodled on a spare sheet of loose-leaf she hadn't used for notes yet. When she looked back up to answer a question, she saw the minute hand move once.

The bell finally trilled it's signal of the day's end as Ai rushed to gather her things. "_Gods, that took f-o-r-e-v-e-r! I really hope it'll go by faster tomorrow…_" She thought as she rushed out the door, following the slow trudge of the other students. She was in such a hurry to get the heck out of there, that she didn't notice the paper she had drawn all over fall to the floor.

XOXO

L watched silently as Ai left the room, seemingly in a hurry, and the wind she stirred up by leaving blew a paper right off her desk. L waited until he was one of the only ones left in the room before he picked it up.

All over it were inverted crosses of the catholic church and small 'chibi' angels with broken wings. "_Why and inverted cross?_"L decided if he brought her the paper, he might be able to get a question in to her while he was at it.

XOXO

Ai had finally made it to her living area, decorated in blues and purples, it was an overall calming effect throughout the space. When you were in the earlier grades, you just got a bedroom/living area combination and had to go eat in a dining room with all the other children from your grade level. When you got up high enough in your grade level it was like having your own apartment. Though it was small, you had a kitchen the rest of you space was taken over by the living room, bathroom, and bedroom.

Then again, having a fully stocked and equipped kitchen didn't really appeal to her but props were nice… Especially when there was company, since it always helped to improve your cooking skills.

A knock sounded at her door, "_Whoa, got a bit absorbed in my thoughts didn't I? I never even heard this person approach…_"

Ai was all nerves for some reason as she approached the door, "_Relax,_" She told herself, "_You're going to feel like an idiot when you open the door and some random person is standing there, stupid._" She finally shook her uneasy feeling and opened the door to see that dark haired boy from class.

Had he been standing up straight, instead of slouching, she probably would have had a nice view of his shoulder, but instead she stared right into his eyes, "_An ebony abyss, swirling into nothing until you can enter the very confines of his mind, only there will the true light shine through…Whoa, where'd __**that**__ come from?!_" She shook off such thoughts before plastering an amiable smile across her face, "Hey, you live next door right?"

XOXO

She had answered the door slowly, first only opening the door wide enough for her eye to show, then holding it open the rest of the way and leaning against the doorway, arms folded across her stomach. She had looked deep in thought momentarily before smiling, "Hey, you live next door right?"

"Yes, I do. You dropped this when you left." L said, figuring he'd get right to the point, holding her paper out to her. She looked a little surprised, then embarrassed, as she gently slipped the paper away from his hand. "You draw very well." She looked surprised again as she replied, "Thank you…I can't believe I left this back in class." "We're all a bit forgetful at times, it wasn't a problem."

Ai was beginning to get nervous again, but she couldn't place her finger on it…

"Um…Thank you?" "…." "…" The silence dragged on a bit, and Ai could smell a scent just seeping out of the person in front of her, it was unnerving, and it wasn't helping that she was hungry. She felt his eyes boring into her as she stood there, it was as if they were taking in every detail of her person.

She licked her lips slowly, before questioning, "So…Not to sound rude but was there anything else you wanted to tell me?" He remained silent for a few moments, and just as she was about to question him once more he started off into conversation.

"So, do you think you should pursue an artists career? Or are you thinking of something else?" "Oh…I don't really know, I think I could go just about anywhere…I don't really mind work, so long as I can have adequate pay and living space." He hummed in affirmation before replying, "Are you religious? After all, I don't think anyone without at least background information could draw such accurate recollections of crosses and churches."

**Now** he was starting to make her nervous. "_Relax, small talk, some honest curiosity…That's all it is…_" "I used to be catholic, but nowadays I just believe that all religions are based off the same idea, that there's something more, and some divine consequence."

"Then of course you know what the inverted cross means?" _Shit. _Trying to keep her face passive, she tilted her head and smiled, "I believe I have forgotten, can you refresh my memory?"

"It is a sign of violating taboos." Ai hummed as she seemed to go into thought.

Perhaps not realizing how he was appearing to her, or maybe just not caring, he leaned in closer, mere inches away from her face, before whispering, "So, tell me, what taboos have you violated?"

Ai stiffened considerably. Spacing out usually ended bad for her, but now, there was a very…enticing scent right in front of her. It filled the space around her head, causing her to nearly hold her breath to get away from it. It was time to get the hell away from this guy.

Quickly backing away, she lowered her eyes, replying shortly, "I'm sorry I forgot this paper in my rush to leave, I should have been more careful with my belongings. Thank you for returning it to me. Goodnight." Before she quickly closed the door.

XOXO

"_I at least remembered to shut it slower at the end so I wouldn't slam it…_" Ai thought as she gently clicked the lock into place. She purposely tried to make it seem as if the crosses were upside down, but the coloration might have given it away.

Damn.

"_Calm yourself, he doesn't suspect anything._" She thought as she pressed her back against the door, slowly sliding down into a sitting position. "_Yes, yes, he didn't gather anything other than the obvious from that, he doesn't think you're a monster, he thinks you're a freak._" The end to her last thought made her sad for some reason, so she left her door for her bedroom to look out the window.

It was clear at least, and according to her calendar it would be a full moon tonight, perfect to be outside! So cliché, a vampire going out at night. Oh well. She loved the dark anyway, plus she was even **more** hungry now.

XOXO

L didn't understand when she almost slammed the door in his face, but he left her doorway to darken his own. When he got inside, he almost immediately ripped right through his 'homework'. When there was nothing left to do, he went to the fridge, grabbed some strawberries, and curled on the couch to eat and think.

"_Why was she so suddenly reserved when I mentioned the crosses?_"

What seemed like hours later, and it probably was, L had finally finished his strawberries, not to mention a few other sweets, and decided to try to go to sleep, or at least turn on his laptop and do something on there.

After an hour of beating spider solitaire into the dust, he heard the window next to his bedroom window click, before creaking open. Turning his head, the clock glared in it's red light, 12:34. The way the bedrooms were set up, his bedroom was right next to Ai's so their windows were flanking each other. He crept over to his window to peek out from between the shades.

XOXO

It was a bit crisp out tonight but that was perfect, since she could smell a raccoon just around the corner. It wasn't a lot but it was sounding oh so good to release tension on it right now.

XOXO

L watched as Ai stood out in the middle of the yard, face upturned allowing moonlight to light her face up. She turned her head slightly, and her head bobbed as if she was a dog scenting something. Suddenly she strode over to crouch behind a tree, crouched down, and cupped her hands around her mouth.

XOXO

As soon as she made it behind the tree Ai started making noises designed to lure the raccoon out of hiding. When she heard faintly it's paws padding across the ground, she crouched, read to spring at any moment…

XOXO

L watched as a very well-fed raccoon waddled towards the tree Ai was behind, Ai looked like she was ready to jump the poor thing… It stopped going towards the tree, sniffing the air. Suddenly she lashed out from behind the tree, temporarily giving chase as the poor thing ran for it's life. She slipped on the grass, but not before that fat thing ran towards the window…

Right as it was but five feet away, Ai jumped from where she had fallen, stretching out, not noticing L, as her eyes burned ice blue, finally hitting her mark. She gripped the raccoon by the scruff of it's neck momentarily, before quickly snapping its head to the left with her other hand.

XOXO

Ai tore into the raccoon's throat, suddenly ravenous. She sighed mentally as the blood started flowing, eyes dropping closed, falling to hers knees to enjoy her meal.

XOXO

L thought he was going to be sick, and that had never happened before. The girl who lived next door just killed a raccoon, and started drinking it's blood. Right. In front of. His window. He wanted so dearly to tear his eyes away from the dreadful scene that was before him. But he just couldn't look away. So he snapped the blinds shut.

XOXO

Ai's head snapped up from the dead animal as she heard the blinds clicking against eachother. That one guy, "_Neighbor_", his blinds were moving. Could he have seen anything? She started panicking, blood still fresh around her mouth,

"_What if he did see what just happened? What if he saw everything? STUPID! So many years of secrecy ruined from one night! God!_" She threw her gaze down to the limp body laying in her arms, cradling it almost. She walked over to the trash cans slowly, before placing it in a bag and setting right on top.

She didn't care if it was found. She might be leaving. She was about to pay her neighbor a friendly visit.

XOXO

L was still standing close to the blinds, wanting to peek out the window once more when a knock sounded from not the window, but his door. L didn't have to ponder who would be knocking at this time of night.

He slowly crept over to the door, and copied what Ai had done earlier, opening it just enough so that he could peek out. Apparently it was too much of an opening, seeing as Ai harshly pushed it open, but gently shut it, all in one motion.

Next thing L knew he was pinned against the wall, her hands on either side of his head. "Who are you and why were you spying on me?" L frowned in thought, though he was still anxious about the whole ordeal. "What do you mean 'who am I'? We've lived next door to each other for a year. I wasn't spying on you I was looking out my window as I saw you attack and kill a raccoon!"

Her eyes went blank as she thought on this, and her hands slowly fell away from his head. "I get distracted rather easily." Then she fired up again but kept her hands to her sides, though they balled into fists. "Also, in case you didn't know, watching people is spying!" "_Stupid._" She added mentally.

L walked forward, causing her to back away, "Then explain why I watched you kill a defenseless animal." His voice was a dead calm. Ai hated that control, so she debated what to say in her mind, before saying, "I…can't"

He strode forward and gripped her shoulders lightly, "Look, why don't we just take you to one of the overseers and we'll get this mess all straightened out-" He was shocked to find her so suddenly out of his grasp and walking away. She turned to find one of his spare notebooks lying on the mini table.

Once picked up, she turned her head to say, "You'll find it somewhere later."

Then she was gone.

XOXO

Ai left his room in a hurry, wanting to leave as soon as she could. She ran into her room, packing her laptop, and a few changes of clothes, she whipped through the room, before running outside, messenger bag slung over her shoulder, and notebook in hand.

She had been saving this baby for a special occasion. She ran out around the corner, quickly snatching keys out from under a rock before she made it to her pride and joy, her bike.

She had spent weeks on this thing back when she was sixteen, planning for a moment when she needed a quick getaway. She tightened the bag considerably, so it rode her hip, before straddling the bike. She flicked the key into the ignition and revved up the engine. She had saved up for this, even got the higher ups who ran this place to let her get a job. It took a year or so, but she had gotten it.

XOXO

When L heard her finish tearing through her room and the door slam behind her, he had followed her outside, he didn't know why but he felt as if there was something he needed to do for her. As soon as he got outside and heard the roar of her bikes engine, he knew exactly what had to be done.

Even if he didn't want her to get away.

XOXO

She leaned forward as she kicked the thing into gear, letting it take off running. She placed her feet on the pegs set up near the back as she finally rested on the bulge of the gas tank. She ripped out from around the corner, heading for the gate, she slowed thinking it would be closed, but she got there just in time to see them open the rest of the way.

"_Someone knew I was leaving_." Ai thought as the roar of the engine dulled in her ears as she sunk into thought. And as she passed the gate and a dark figure watched her go, her eyes widened in recollection, "_L…_"

She slid quickly past the gate and sped off into the night.

**A/N; Wow, eight pages isn't bad for a start… But I think it was maybe a little jerky? Or was it just fast paced? **


	2. Chapter 1

**I don't own Deathnote. A/N: One thousand apologies are in order for all of the XOXO line breaks. It probably makes things a bit confusing at times. However they will disappear soon enough, I just have to get my brain back in gear. Another apology, I may not be able to update often because I'm somewhere where there is almost zero connection to the internet. So please don't get too miffed at me! (This chapter will have a kind of citrus-flavored bit, so if that bothers you just close your eyes and skip over it.)**

As the newest report came in, upon viewing, it was the same as many others before it. The victims throat had been torn out. Even though it had been years, one name came to mind. "_Ai…_"

She would be about twenty five by now, maybe about two inches taller… "_No._" L thought as he examined the photo taken from the crime scene. "_There's too much blood on the floor. There wouldn't be so much, if any, if it was Ai's work._" Another thought struck him, "_If it was her she could be trying to throw attention away from herself, especially if she knows I'm working the case…_"

L sighed, but only in thought, ever since Kira had come onto the radar, these killings became either sudden or more prominent. "_Most likely more prominent, unless she's hunting raccoons or other such animals, in which case no bodies would be found._" It was plausible, but if she had been surviving off of animals, why would she suddenly start killing humans?

It was all very strange.

XOXO

Ai sat in the café, standing out considerably from the rest of the people in the dim lighting due to her ever-pale skin. The café was only one side to the building, if you went through the door at the other side of the room, there would be a bar. Ai knew the owner, he worked double duty as one out of three waiters, and the bartender. However business was slower at the moment, so they were chatting idly over hot tea.

Ai sat cross-legged in her seat, resting her elbows on the table as she swirled her tea absentmindedly. "Rough day sweetheart?" "You wouldn't believe it." Ai paused before adding, "Can we please drop the sweetheart next time Ryuu?" She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust, making him laugh. "Lose your job yet?" Ai grinned as she replied, "Let's just say it was out the window."

"Eh, what was so great about being everyone's bitch anyway?" Ai winced. "I was _not_ everyone's bitch!" "Sure you were! You got them papers, fetched their coffee, took notes for them at meetings…Sounds like they had you on a leash to me." Ai lowered her head. "Hate to admit it, but it sounds like you're right." "You'd be better off here you know." Ai raised her eyebrow, "Was that an offer or a speculation?"

"I would call it an offer. As long as you serve people in your area it doesn't matter to me what you do." "Hm…I'll definitely give it some thought." Ai said, still stirring her tea. "Hope you do…Hang on, party of four." He said, leaving the table.

XOXO

It was about midnight now, and L was still scanning over the crime scene photos. There was no sign of any other bite marks on the victim, and their necks weren't broken. If he remembered accurately, Ai had snapped the raccoons neck before killing it, these killings were somewhat cruel…

But if it wasn't her then who? There was no murder weapon lying nearby, so if it was Kira's work, unless they scratched it out, it was very unlikely that their throat exploded. He had harbored ideas of other vampires, after all if there was one why wouldn't there be more? However, the odds of two appearing in his life seemed unlikely.

XOXO

Ai was still sitting at the booth, staring down the contents of her cup when she felt someone slide into the opposite booth. Looking up, she saw the brown head of hair that had become increasingly prominent in her life. "Hey there beautiful." "Gabriel, long time no…see." She finally caught a whiff of his scent, and her eyelids fluttered. Sure, Gabriel didn't smell anywhere as good as L did, but Gabriel was…more than sufficient.

He had come upon her when she was stalking an alley cat, but he scared it away. Pissed, she had dragged him into the alley, pushing him out of view of the street and pinning him to the wall. He had grinned mockingly at her icy eyes as she said menacingly, "I hope you're willing to make up for the opportunity I just lost." He slid down the wall dragging her with him. "Oh, I am." He said as he bared the junction of his neck and shoulder to her.

She had momentarily toyed with the idea of trying to find that alley cat again, but she was hungry and wanted food _now_. So she damned the consequences and bit him, and he had been a constant in her life since then. He even letting her come to his house and clean herself up afterwards.

"_Not as good as L smells, but better than cats._" She thought, licking her lips. He leaned across the table, whispering in her ear, "Back room?" She shot him a look that said, 'Did you even have to ask?' before looking around for Ryuu. He grinned and waved her back as soon as their eyes met. She barely managed to mouth a 'thank you' before she rose and started dragging Gabriel towards the bar entrance.

XOXO

L finally decided to sleep, not feeling as if he had done enough for the night, but recognizing his need for sleep. He didn't fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but it was pretty damn close to it. He lay back, almost instinctively curling up, but remaining spread out in a half curl. As he fell headlong into sleep, he thought one last time of who could have committed the crime, Ai? Or someone else?

XOXO

_She pinned him to the wall quickly, sliding her right leg between Gabriel's legs as he braced himself against one of the stall walls. Ai's eyes slowly brightened to their icy color as he unbuttoned his shirt and slid it down for her. Gripping his shoulder, she slid her thigh just a little higher, making him close his eyes. _

_The hand that wasn't holing his shoulder slid up from his hip, past his shoulder and around to the back of his head where her fingers wound themselves through his hair, holding his head steady. She slowly licked up the side of his neck as she shifted her thigh back and forth slowly, trying to distract him. _

_It began taking effect almost instantly, as he tried to turn his head, eyes remaining closed. She tightened her hold of him as she scraped her teeth over his neck, visibly struggling with herself to not just immediately go for the bite. _

_She kept stimulating him from as many different points as she could until he was thoroughly distracted, moving with her thigh, and that's when she made her move on him. She bared her fangs only momentarily before they easily sliced through his skin. She only lingered for a few seconds before she drew away, allowing the blood to bubble up from the two puncture wounds. _

_Gabriel had obviously felt her bite, because once she drew away a shudder ran through him, not going unnoticed by Ai, who grinned before settling in to suck on the wounds, soothing them with the temperature difference between her mouth and his skin. _

_After a minute or two had passed she knew Gabriel wouldn't be holding out much longer. Too much time with the foreplay then. She drew away, quickly whispering, "I'll finish when you do" Before returning to the wounds. He managed to pant, "No…Fill up…I don't…care." She hummed lightly in acknowledgment, lifting her head to lightly run her tongue over his skin._

_She pulled away and averted her eyes from the bruise resembling area, and breathing on the side of his neck, she replied, "I don't think so." When he tried to argue with her, she silenced him with gentle nips to his jaw line, and finally, his eyes sprang open, and his body tensed as he inhaled sharply. All movement came to a gradual halt, and Ai gently helped him sit down as she left the stall. "I'll be back in a moment." _

XOXO

L roused from his sleep and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to shake the strange dreams he from his mind. He usually slept so soundly, that he never remembered his dreams. Even if he was remembering this one, why was Ai in his dreams? Who was Gabriel?

Feeling confused, he pulled a notebook from the nightstand, flipping through the pages quickly, trying to find anything about a Gabriel in them. However his efforts were fruitless. The only things in the notebook were drawings and the occasional scribbling of the same name.

Vanessa Turner.

It had taken a while to find any information on anyone named Vanessa Turner, but in the very pits of a site on the civil war, more accurately a list of the dead or missing, he found Vanessa Turner. She had no biography, then again, a majority of the people didn't on the list.

However, there were still unanswered questions. Was Vanessa Turner actually Ai? Was Ai this persons killer? Or was Ai leading him on a wild goose chase to distract him from the task at hand?

XOXO

Ai returned to the bathroom just in time to see Gabriel walk out of the stall, hair disheveled, but no worse for the wear. She pushed herself up on the counter top as he began buttoning his shirt up. "So…A bathroom this time. Getting a bit kinky are we?" Ai frowned, "_We_ aren't doing anything kinky. The back room was full anyway, where else could we have done it and not have had someone walk in on us?"

In a true speak-of-the-devil moment, some poor person chose that moment to walk into the bathroom. Gabriel's shirt was still halfway unbuttoned, and Ai was leaned back against the mirror with her eyes closed. "Sorry." The person mumbled as they quickly ducked back through the door.

Gabriel burst out laughing as soon as the door shut, "So, we're under the radar in here?" "Shut it." Gabriel raised an eyebrow and stood in front of her, "A bit fiery aren't you? Don't get so agitated beautiful, your pretty face looks better without a frown." "What do you care what my face looks like? We've discussed this." Ai said as she gave him a cold stare.

"We have discussed this Ai, but we've also discussed how vampires are creatures of desire. They want what they want when they want it." "Exasperatedly, Ai replied, "What's your point then Gabriel?" He darkened his tone as he leaned in closer, relishing how she tensed, "My point is that you want someone. Who would that someone be, hm?"

"Not you." She said as she slipped around him and exited the bathroom. Gabriel would have gone after her, but he knew now wasn't the time. Besides, she'd come back to him. She always did.

Meanwhile, Ai found Ryuu just getting ready to close the café and officially declare the bar open. She waited for him to turn around before asking, "When can I start?"


End file.
